DWTS Recap: The Pressure and Injuries Mount

After Week 8’s double elimination, Dancing with the Stars arrives at Season 14’s semi-finals with Katherine Jenkins, Donald Driver, William Levy and Maria Menounos. All four are fierce contenders for the Mirror Ball Trophy. Who will break under the pressure? It’s anyone’s game at this point.

Well, let’s see what our celebs have in store for us during these two rounds of dance competition:

Round 1

* William Levy and Cheryl Burke – William and Cheryl’s tango was interesting. I think it was a dancing robot theme which was kind of odd. Both of them had super serious looks on their face. Maybe they want to intimidate their fellow competitors?

Anyway, their performance wasn’t too bad it just didn’t blow me away. There were no “wow” moments. It definitely lacked excitement for me as a viewer.

Score = 28/30

* Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas – Katherine had a somewhat rough time last week. She ended up at risk for elimination at the end of the results show after a subpar performance of the Viennese waltz during the first round of individual couples dances. However, in the second round, she bounced back in fine form for the trio dances. Here’s hoping she doesn’t stumble this week with her quickstep.

Katherine’s performance with Mark was campy and fun. Her technique was fantastic and their retro routine was really entertaining. Awesome job!

Score = 29/30

* Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd – Donald and Peta brought their A game to the ballroom for their waltz. Their performance was just beautiful. It was elegant and had an intimate feel about it. Donald really tapped into his emotions for the routine. It was really lovely.

Score = 28/30

* Maria Menounos and Derek Hough – Ahhh….it’s the risk-takers. During rehearsals, it looked like the pressure is getting to Derek which is surprising because he’s a three-time champ. Maria was a little teary-eyed too. Hopefully, they can channel all that emotion into a passion-filled Argentine tango.

I loved the beginning of Maria and Derek’s performance. A curtain hid everything but their footwork. It was really cool. Once the curtain lifted, they turned in a stellar, intense Argentine tango. It was almost like watching a silent movie play out. Fab-u-lous!

Score = 30/30

Round 2

* William Levy and Cheryl Burke – William and Cheryl’s samba was hot and spicy. He really excels at the Latin dances…of course, it’s no wonder it’s in his blood. I loved the tropical music. It fit well with the choreography. And, both William and Cheryl really played to the audience in the ballroom.

Score = 30/30

* Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas – Oh, Katherine and Mark went all Arabian Nights for their salsa. It reminded me of Maria and Derek’s risky Bollywood from last week’s trio round. I wonder why you would go that route after seeing their low scores.

Anyway, this was not a favorite for me. It seemed to be well done as far as technique and emotional content goes, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. I wasn’t quite sure what happened at the end of the performance. Katherine just kind of stopped abruptly and started crying. According to her post-performance comments to Brooke Burke Charvet, Katherine thought she might have injured her back. Gosh, I hope she’s okay.

Score = 27/30

* Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd – During rehearsals, Donald had a bit of trouble with all those hip movements that are so crucial to the samba, but when it came time for his actual performance, he seemed to pull off those moves just fine. Just as William and Cheryl did, Donald and Peta played to the crowd. It was a fun routine, very entertaining.

Score = 29/30

* Maria Menounos and Derek Hough – What a crazy beginning for a dance! Maria was lying on a table with no heartbeat with Derek doing CPR on her. Then, she hopped up and they jived.

This performance was a lot of fun too. It doesn’t seem to be a traditional version of the jive, but it was cool. I liked it!

Score = 29/30

Total Scores:
Maria and Derek = 59/60
William and Cheryl = 58/60
Donald and Peta = 57/60
Katherine and Mark = 56/60

Who Might be Turning in their Dancing Shoes? This is a tough call…but, Katherine

Find out who makes it to the finals on Tuesday’s Dancing with the Stars: The Results, airing live at 9PM/ET on ABC, featuring musical guest Carrie Underwood and more.

Images: Adam Taylor/ABC

Nikita Palmer (@RTNowRadio) for Cumulus Media © 2012